Spurred by personal recovery, ‘The Forgotten Ones’ documentary spotlights opioid addiction in East African communities
EMILY BRYDEN: This is Minnesota Now on MPR News. I’m Emily Bryden for Cathy Wurzer. The opioid epidemic is a serious issue in Minnesota. Opioid deaths have more than doubled since 2019. Some communities are more impacted than others. Black Minnesotans are more than three times as likely to die from a drug overdose than […]
As UMN officials contemplate the future of a destination academic medical system, others wait
For nearly a year, one of Minnesota’s largest health systems has been trying to complete a merger. The proposed partnership between Fairview Health Services and South Dakota-based Sanford Health was contentious from the moment it was announced, drawing ire from union officials, private citizens and public officials alike. At the center of these concerns lay […]
A political gap in excess deaths widened after COVID-19 vaccines arrived, study says
A new study finds a gap in excess deaths opened between Republicans and Democrats in 2021, after vaccine access was widened to all adults. Here, a Walgreens worker prepares vaccine shots for school staff in Dayton, Ohio, in February 2021. Megan Jelinger/AFP via Getty Images The pandemic inflicted higher rates of excess deaths on both […]
Bronny James, LeBron’s oldest son, suffered cardiac arrest during practice
Bronny James during a high school basketball game in January. James was hospitalized in Los Angeles after he suffered a cardiac arrest during practice Monday. Gregory Payan | AP Bronny James, the eldest son of basketball superstar LeBron James, suffered a cardiac arrest during basketball practice at the University of Southern California on Monday. According […]
Extreme heat’s coming: Here’s how to stay healthy
Temperatures in Minnesota are creeping closer to triple digits, and smoky ozone-filled skies are complicating conditions. Bouts of extreme heat mean an uptick in trips to the emergency room, pets overheating and people without air conditioning needing alternative shelter. “Trouble starts when it’s too hot or too humid out like it is now today, and […]
Take a breath: A meditation guide for families
INTERVIEWER: This next segment is for people with young kids in their life. You know how life can get stressful really fast. One minute, you’re calmly eating lunch or trying to. And then the next, somebody has spilled their milk, someone else has kicked somebody else, and someone needs your help right this minute. It […]
New marijuana law likely to ignite legal challenges
It was a footnote in an easy-to-miss Minnesota Court of Appeals decision in December of 2020, a ruling that overturned a man’s DWI conviction involving marijuana use. “Unlike alcohol, there is no statutory threshold for the amount of THC at which a person is considered ‘under the influence,’” the footnote in a decision written by […]
Districts focus on mental health, teacher training to raise student achievement
When Julio Caesar looks at his district’s test scores and survey data, he can see the effects of the pandemic as clearly as lines on a seismograph after an earthquake. Caesar is the executive director of research evaluation and assessment for Bloomington Public Schools. He can track the hit his district’s students took by looking […]
Minnesota prepares as heat wave may bring 100-degree temperatures to the state
Updated: 2 p.m. It’s been a warmer-than-average summer across much of Minnesota — and it’s about to get even hotter. Temperatures are forecast to climb into the 90s — possibly even exceeding 100 degrees — across parts of the state in the coming days, accompanied by increased humidity. Local governments and health officials are urging […]
Young men making quartz countertops are facing lung damage. One state is taking action
This image, from a video produced by government safety researchers, shows a countertop worker using a machine with a spray of water that’s intended to control dust. NIOSH California is poised to become the first state in the country to adopt special measures to protect workers who make kitchen and bathroom countertops out of a […]